The end is 'Neer

[Townopolis]

Scree's "Office" is near the middle of the tower, in the upper half. It is really a combination of library and arcane laboratory. The walls are made out of books as far as you can tell, and innumerable charts and maps line the ceiling. Globes, large and small, swing on arms in a huge contraption in the back left corner, and before it there is, of all things, a cauldron boiling in a firepit with runes surrounding its lip. A massive book rests on a low podium, almost touching the ground, before the cauldron, and it lies open. In the back right, you spot a serene pool of water that stands in contrast to the rest of the room. Above it hang several silver mirrors of varying shapes and sizes. Near the front of the room, there is a large desk piled with papers and arcane items, including several small crystal spheres in which you can barely glimpse scenes playing out in miniature. Beside these, there is a large crystal ball on a stand. Scree himself sits behind this desk, reclining in a cloudseat. He is wearing his usual attire: Red vest, white sleeves, black pants, and brown boots. A black wide-brimmed hat hangs on a hat rack by the door.

Scree nods to each of you as you enter, then once everyone is inside clears his throat and begins.

"The world of Pferon has been the place of a fairly low-key war between the orcs and everyone else. Largely, the orcs are not very successful in their pushes to take over the world, but they are so numerous it has proved troublesome trying to cull or weaken them in any way. This situation isn't a problem, in fact its a good balance of power. Unfortunately, that balance is about to be upset.

Pferon has the same problem with orcs and goblins that many worlds do, they are so numerous and ubiquitous that, if they were to ever unite, they would almost assuredly take over the world. So far, this hasn't happened for a variety of reasons.

One thing that has kept that from happening is a legend among the Pferon orcs of the Wurmsteed, apparently orcish myth tells of an orcish king who would ride upon a mighty beast called the wurmsteed and he would rule all the clans. Until now, this legend has been a blessing, as no warlord without the wurmsteed could hope to unite the orcs.

Unfortunately, it looks like a band of interlopers have traveled to Pferon from elsewhere and supplied one of the orcish warlords with a monster the world has never seen before, and already trained to be ridden. I have no doubt the orcs will see this as the fabled beast of legend.

Worse, the orc in question may well be the most powerful fighter the world has ever seen. He's a black-orc known as Khaneer. With the wurmsteed at his side, Khaneer is now poised to call a host of orcs like never seen on Pferon and with it he will subjugate the world.

This is exactly the kind of thing we're here to prevent happening. Merco, You're in charge for this mission. The green gate in the portal room is set to take you near Khaneer's last known location on Pferon, Butler will let you through when you go down there. First, however, does anyone have any questions?"

[The Necroswanso]

Merco nodded as he was named leader for this mission.
"Do we have any pictures, possible paintings of this, Khaneer?
As well; Is he simply, a fighter or has there been any sightings or rumors of him having other capapbilities?"

[playswithfire]

Harar

No questions from me. Bad stuff happening. We gotta stop it. I like his questions, though; particularly the first one.

This second sentence is appropriated by a waving of his jug in Merco's direction. After a quick drink from that jug, Harar decides to save most of it for when it'll do the most good and puts in back in his bag.

[Akiata]

Xerek

Xerek enters with the others and takes several moments to survey the intriguing contents of Scree's office. He listens closley to Scree's briefing and responds with the following questions.

"I gather that you believe that without the wurmsteed the natural order on Pferon will be restored. It would seem a good first step to me, in anycase. Do you know what this beast is capable of - have any been defeated before? Orcs I have fought - but this "wurmsteed" - what can we expect of it?"

"And supposing for a moment that we manage to destroy the beast, what's to stop this band of otherworlders supplying another? Do you know who they are?"

[DarknessLord]

“So, right now our goal is to stop to interference of an outside party to take over an unsuspecting world. How do we know that these interlopers are evil? They may not be using the best methods to achieve peace for that world, but, they could still be well meaning. I also agree with the previous questions we need as much information as you can give us.”
Eden wasn’t quite sure she liked the vagueness of the mission they were given, but she was more then willing to give Scree the chance to go more in-depth then what could have just been his basic summery, or admit that they didn’t know much more. Either answer would satisfy Eden, because she definitely wanted to help the people on that world, but she wanted to be sure she was really doing the right thing.

Spoiler

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Sense Motive - Scree
(1d20+17)[32]

[Townopolis]

Scree gives a small nod to each question, and cracks a light smile at Eden's.

"Khaneer has shown only martial prowess. He is an excellent fighter and commands the utter obedience of the orcs under his command. Over he career, he has also acquired a typical array of magical armaments for a fighter and support for a leader. He is currently accompanied by three orc shaman in addition to his albeit small horde.

Remember though, although they may be mere orcs, they will be well organized.

The wurmsteed is a whole 'nother problem. It's capabilities are so far unknown to me aside from the basics. Physically, it is a strong and tough predator. It resembles what an eel would be if it interbred with a dragon, except without the vestigal wings. It is at least as powerful in physical combat as Khaneer, but if it has additional capabilities, I have not been able to discover them.

The wurmsteed will be the easiest way to identify Khaneer. Otherwise, he is your typical large orc warrior. He will be well equipped and in command, but he doesn't look particularly special otherwise.

Even if these interlopers had the best of intentions, this situation will result in much more harm than good. The extermination of all but a few native species aside, the orcs of Pferon are in many regards no different than those of other worlds, and a world ruled by these orcs will cry out like a beacon to evil forces looking for cheap fodder for their armies.

Perhaps one day the real wurmsteed will appear and its rider will raise the orcs of Pferon to new heights, but that hasn't happened. We have an imposter who must be stopped before he ruins his world."

Scree pauses before answering the last question.

"We have lost track of the interlopers, but we will be keeping the astral area under surveillance in case the trail picks up again."

[The Necroswanso]

Merco frowned, obviously coalescing the data in his head.
"Forgive me. This seems far too vague, and just a little questionable. We're sure this is an imposter, but we are unsure about who has been fueling him. His "wormsteed" sounds familiar, but I can't recall from where I might have heard it.
Are you sure there isn't anything else we need to know?"

[Townopolis]

As Merco speaks his question, Scree takes on a quizzical look, then sits up as one corner of his mouth tugs to the side.

"There is much that I wish I could tell you. I would like to supply the Watch with exact numbers, tactics, histories, and reports on anything from past judgements to accredited powers. However, try to understand our resources and duties. The watch has two overseers, and only one diviner, and we keep an eye or two on as many worlds as we can. Our information network is stretched a little thin, and that is reflected in our information resources.

This is all we know about Khaneer himself, that he is typical in his style, but great in his power, and that he has a pet from outside his world. We know also that he has begun to acquire an army of orcs, and my projections show that he will continue to do so until he is poised to overtake his homeworld.

From past experience, we are certain that orcs of this... category, will not be able, or willing, to prevent Pferon's subjugation by outside forces should they come to power. That we are sure of.

We know also that the creature Khaneer now commands was brought from another plane, and that it was accompanied by others, who have since left. And finally, I have studied, before and after coming here. Prophesying is a combination of divination, psychology, and guesswork. An entity capable of observing and accounting for extraplanar interlopers..."

He shrugs. "Gods pale in comparison, and how."

[The Necroswanso]

Merco hated following blindly but he took Scree' word for it. They didn't have the time or resources to be able to get every angle, and for the time being they'd have to get their information in the field.
"I see, I will need about ten minutes to prepare and I will be ready."

[DarknessLord]

Eden nodded, she knew this was all she was going to get from Scree, and his explanation was reasonable enough. As things stood right now, that world needed help, and that was more important, and Eden would do her best to reason with this warlord, just in case Scree was wrong about the nature of this warlord or his sponsors.
“I am able to leave whenever it best suits the rest of you. I appreciate the information you could provide us with, Sir Scree.”

[Townopolis]

Scree nods to Eden.

"If there are any scrolls, potions, or wands you think you will need, you may want to check with Mory in the armory. It's at the bottom of the tower, but is reachable through a teleportation circle in the portal room.

His supplies are finite, however, so he may not have everything you need."

[Akiata]

Xerek

Convinced that he's heard all that the Overseer can tell him, Xerek is ready to learn the rest in the field.

"I am ready to leave now."

[Townopolis]

((If there's anything people wish to grab before leaving, tack a shopping list on to your next post, you'll buy or borrow it in retroactive downtime))

The Portal Room

Is large and round and sports five portals. Each is more a teleportation circle than what one might expect of a portal, a circular platinum disk ten feet across and engraved with all manner of runes and sigils. Each portal has its carvings filled with a different color: red, green, gold, blue, and gray. A circular staircase leading up and down and an alcove with a teleportation circle are at opposite sides of the room. Aside from these various objects of transportation, the room is completely barren wood floor and stone wall.

Butler, the strange leader of the native stirges, flies about the room energetically. Spotting the group as they enter, he buzzes over to you.

"Aha, good day madam and sirs. You are departing on your first mission, yes?" His attempt at high society demeanor is ruined as he cracks a toothy grin. "Well I suppose it is my duty to send you along. If you would stand on the portal please, I'll attune you and put you through.

Now remember, madam and sirs, that once you are attuned to the portal, it will stay connected to you until you complete your loop. You can go through without letting me attune you, but that isn't reco... advised. After I put you through, you may complete your loop by reciting the password thirteen times. This will return you here, but be careful, the process may take a minute or two on either side.

Now, if you'll stand on your portal, today's password is Argelfraster, remember it."

((once everyone says they're ready (standing on the portal constitutes saying you're ready) we'll begin))

[The Necroswanso]

Merco had gathered his gear and walked down to meet the others, he stopped before entering though, and muttered a prayer to himself.
"Grant me wisdom..."
And he enetered. Having his cape wrapped around his armor made him look much larger than he actually was, and his large shield stuck out of the cape.
Merco listened the the stirge and made a mental note of the password.
"I am ready when all of you are."

[DarknessLord]

“Must these thirteen times be all at once, or will it activate once we’ve said the password for the thirteenth time total?” Eden asked with a smile as she practically ran onto the portal. She was glad to be able to leave the watchtower, and excited to be seeing a new world that she had never seen before, it was not an experience she seriously thought she’d have when she was a young girl. While she knew they had a job to do, she was hoping that she could take some time to see what their was to see, and if they were festivities to partake in, so much the better!
“I thank you, good sir, and leave my travel in you capable hands.”

[Akiata]

Xerek

Running through a mental checklist once more to double check he is prepared, he nods, and steps onto the portal, and says, "This ought to be different."

[Townopolis]

"Thirteen times at once, I'm afraid guv'nor." Butler declares gleefully.

Once everyone is ready, Butler holds up his diminutive hands and narrows his eyes in focus. The circle begins to hum and vibrate, at first producing an irritating sensation to all standing on it, then the sensation fades although the hum remains. Butler takes a breath and rubs his hands together.

"Alright"

Next, he holds his hands forward and begins focusing again. The room very quickly loses focus. It becomes blurry and all senses of space become vague. From far away, Butlers voice can be heard.

"Arglefraster!"

Suddenly, the world snaps into focus.

The air is strangely clean, crisp. Normal for a spring morning such as this. Yet it is in sharp contrast to the scene that surrounds you. This was once the center of a small village. Now it is a mud churned field surrounded by burnt husks, now unidentifiable as what they once were. Morning dew clings to charred wood in a paradoxical image.

As you look around you to take in the scene, you can see grain fields stretching from the village limits to further than the eye can see. The grain is just beginning to grow.

Countless footsteps have churned the ground into a mess of mud, but you can still determine the passage of many people in one direction, both entering and exiting the village. It does not take a tracker to follow the movement.

At the edge of the village, the prints circle around a deep firepit, then move on. Inside the pit, ash swirls in a breeze. Whatever was burned here, the job was done thoroughly, and nothing of it remains. The pit is about ten feet across in all directions.

The sun has just recently risen, the day is young.

[The Necroswanso]

Merco paid little heed to the sensations of their transportation, his mind was elsewhere. However as they arrived he was taken by surprise by the scene.
"Well now. That's not good at all."
He took a moment to look around.
"Alright, first things first.
As long as noone can detect any immediate threats, we should get our bearings.
Xerek, please scout the northernmost side, as well as see what's out beyond as far as you can see. Please do not leave the outermost reaches of the town.
Harar, if you could kindly take the west.
Eden, would you kindly take the east.
I'll take the south.
Go no further than you are comfortable with. Count to 500 at one number every second, at meet back at the fire when you have counted such a number. We don't want to take too high of chances seperating for too long.
Afterwards, we'll meet back at the fire pit.
Any objections?"

[Akiata]

Xerek

Having only recently mastered the magic that makes it possible to transport to another plane, Xerek still finds the experience somewhat, unnerving. Once the transportation process is complete he breathes a sigh of relief, and slowly spins on the spot, looking around to soak in the entire scene around him.

Responding to Mecro he says, "Roger that, I'll scout the north, I'll just need a few minutes to pepare myself." He begins casting spells, and pauses in between castings with one eyebrow raised, "Anyone else think it's wierd that the fire pit is on edge of the villiage? I'll bet it's freshly dug..."

Finishing up his castings, one of which appears to have effected a quasi real horselike creature, Xerek mounts up, and says, "Meet you back at the fire pit in a few."

He flies off to the north of the villiage.

Spoiler

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All day buff casting routine initiated.
- Mage Armor (Greater): +8 AC - (+2 from Paragnostic Apostle ability "mind over matter"), extended via metamagic rod - duration 26 hours.
- Phantom Steed: flying at 240' (cast at CL 15th (with Spell Enhancer (SpC)), extended via metamagic rod - duration 30 hours.
- Anticipate Teleportation (SpC): anticipate and delay any teleports within 65' - extended via Abjurant Champion ability - duration 48 hours.

Will scout the north part of the villiage from an altitude of ~80' in the air.
Spot: +12
Listen: +12
After 5-6 minutes searching like this he'll return to the villiage and look through any nothern huts or buildings that are still standing, before returning to the fire pit.

[Townopolis]

The village was almost completely razed by fire. What remains are little more than husks. There is what looks like it was a temple in the northern section. Made of stone, this building has survived, though its door lies in splinters upon the steps. There is also a granary near the southeastern edge of the village. This building has been gutted and hacked open, but does not seem to have been set alight. Other than these, pieces of wall and halves of rooms are all that remain of the village.

Xerek

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There is nothing much to see of the village. While flying above the buildings, however, you spot one thing of interest. It looks like a body lying not far from the outer buildings, in the fields. If you fly a little closer to investigate, you can see the erratic path taken into the fields, and four arrows protruding from the poor soul's back. Further investigation will reveal that he has been dead a few days.

Inside the temple, there are smashed benches, many with dried blood covering almost half the surface. There is a raised stage in the back of the temple as well, but altogether the building is barely furnished, even lacking windows. Looking at the door shows that it was barred shut, but was broken apart by a multitude of blows and eventually torn from its hinges in many pieces.

[Akiata]

Xerek

While waiting for the others to report back, Xerek will have a good look at the fire pit, he suspects corpses will be in there.

With that done, he'll begin looking around for tracks, or any signs of passage which might indicate in what direction the marauding force left by.

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Was the dead body Xerek found to the north a human?

Will try running a quick perimeter of the villiage at a distance of 100' or so to try and identify a direction we might try.
No tracking ability to speak of, however I have:
Spot: +12
Search: +26.

[Townopolis]

The corpse in the northern fields is, indeed, human. He wore commoner's clothing, which has begun to moulder and decay along with his body. When he was alive, he may have been a youth, just old enough to work the fields with his father.

The road through the village runs W by NW to E by SE. Checking for evidence of the marauders' direction is not hard, with so many feet, it is relatively easy to comb them for a well enough defined print to show direction. They arrived from the west, and continued on eastward.

The firepit is on the eastern end of the village, it is wider than the path, and blocks it. The area around the circle has been trampled down, creating new path around it. Inside the pit, old ash swirls. There are no corpses or visible body parts inside at first glance. Poking about in the pit reveals a few, thoroughly charred, bones near the edges. Nearer the center bones become more scares. On the other hand, you do find several unshapen lumps of copper and a little gold, and a few misshapen steel objects. Some of the steel items are small, unidentifiable pieces, one looks like part of an old sword blade that has broken and then warped under heat. There are a few other pieces, of mundane equipment as well, but everything near the center of the pit has obviously been heated quite a bit, and is altered accordingly.

~

The others in your group find nothing in the rest of the town except for this. The granary, upon inspection, has been completely looted, but was not set alight except for a few stray flames from nearby buildings. It is charred but whole, and empty. Two more people were found having run far afield into the crops, another human and a dwarf, both looking like farmhands. All three corpses were found at the ends of trails through the crops that they created. There were no other paths into the fields found.

The village is silent, and aside from you and a pair of ravens who have flown in, devoid of life. The ravens circle overhead, eying the unburnt dead hungrily.

[The Necroswanso]

((I think this group is done for. The other two seem to be MIA))

[Akiata]

OOC: Well I'm still here, and Lordsmoothe is still running it. I have no doubt that replacement players can be found in a flash - if the original recruitment thread is anything to go by. Anyways, between Xerek and Mecro they have the iconic four classes covered - we got this!

Xerek

Once the group returns from their scouting Xerek pipes up:"Looks like whoever, or whatever did this followed the road east. Based on what we already know of this world, it's a fair bet orcs are involved. I say we travel east and catch up with them."

Mounting his phantom steed once more, Xerek looks around the party for reactions, but then pre-empts any by setting off at a slow pace to allow hesitant party members to catch up.

[The Necroswanso]

"That does seem like the best of plans...
Would you by any chance know how to properly track?"
Merco followed, no mount, and kept looking around as they left.

[Townopolis]

The four of you follow the tracks, making the best time you can with your resources, and by the end of the day, you find yourselves approaching another scene much like the one that greeted you. This village was much smaller, and only one building stands, for there is no temple.

Exploring the village, it is very similar to the previous one. The only standing building seems to be the granary, and everything else seems to have been burned. However, this village shows signs of something else that happened here.

The village sits on a hill, and a trench has been dug all around the perimeter. The large firepit is not in the center of the village, and there is evidence that the burnt out remnants and husks have been moved aside, there is a surprising amount of open space cleared out here, with rubble piled up in concentrated areas.

The firepit in the center has a foul smell that the previous one did not, and if you approach the center of the ash-filled pit, you can feel a warmth near the very middle, permeating the ground.

The sun is, by this time, halfway submerged beneath the horizon, and the sky is turned a fiery orange.

[Akiata]

Xerek

Surveying the devestation, Xerek says softly, "the same as the last..."

Turning back to the party he continues, "I'm no tracker, but the trail seems warmer this time, I guess we're catching up. We should look around quickly, before we lose the light. I'll scout north, as before."

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Xerek will scout to the north of the villiage, hoping to find survivors. He'll fly at 50' and after completing a sweep will check the trench to try and learn how freshly dug it is, and then the firepit for any clues as to what went on here beyond the obvious.

Search: +26
Spot: +12

Lastly, Xerek will look to the road for signs of which way the attackers went.

[The Necroswanso]

"I get the feeling this will only be second in a long line..."

Merco takes the south, before returning to the fire pit.
He couldn't help but shake the feeling that there would be no peaceful solutions this time around.

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Spot and Search at +0 :(

[Townopolis]

There is nothing left in the village, and everyone returns from their sweeps empty handed. Night descends quickly, and you make camp as the sun disappears below the horizon, then begin early the next morning.

Xerek

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The trench looks like it couldn't have been dug more than a day or two ago.

The fire pit reveals only what the last one before it did, that it was the place and method used to dispose of the bodies and anything else unwanted by the raiders. It is difficult to find anything in it, as it must have burned exceptionally hot, especially near the center. If that is a function of size or fuel, you cannot tell definitively.

The attackers have continued down the only road that leaves the village.

[Akiata]

Xerek

Thanks to his enchanted bedroll, Xerek only takes one hour of sleep before rising again and completing his morning rituals of memorisation and castings. These preparations take some time to complete, and he begins them during the last watch. Today however, he makes some changes to his usual selections.

As the others rise they see several phantom horses - like the one Xerek rode yesterday. Each has a black head and body, gray mane and tail, and smoke-colored, insubstantial hooves that make no sound. They are fitted with what seems to be a saddle, bit, and bridle.

"I can't speak for the rest of you, but personally, I'm not looking forward to finding more of these razed villiages. I have summoned steeds for each of us that should allow us to close with our quarry swiftly."

Already mounted himself, Xerek gestures toward three other steeds. "These only have a limited ability to fly, but they can travel at speed. Be wary though, they are not meant for melee."

"Merco, I wanna catch these guys - let's ride."

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Three Phantom steeds. They move at 240' and can air walk at will for 1 round at a time. 13 hour duration.

Xere's all day buff casting routine:
- Mage Armor (Greater): +8 AC - (+2 from Paragnostic Apostle ability "mind over matter"), extended via metamagic rod - duration 26 hours.
- Phantom Steed: flying at 240' (cast at CL 15th (with Spell Enhancer (SpC)), extended via metamagic rod - duration 30 hours.
- Anticipate Teleportation (SpC): anticipate and delay any teleports within 65' - extended via Abjurant Champion ability - still active for a further 24 hours from yesterday's casting.